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Crawler (Xenosuran)
The crawler is a prime example of the xenosuran line. Once preyed upon by the now-extinct Therox, an ancestor to the Aurix and Aurosuchus lines. Statistics *'Species Type:' Cold-blooded Amphibious Xenosuran *'Lifestyle:' Semi-social Predator *'Hunt/Forage Success Rate:' 100% Hunt (10% success rate) *'Armor:' Crawlers possess a tough outer exoskeletal shell which they utilize to defend themselves from attacks that might kill them. This shell is shed regularly however for them to grow, and for a few hours at a time they must avoid danger at all costs until their exoskeleton hardens once more. This armor is not successful against significantly heavier creatures, which can easily crush it, thereby instantly disabling, crippling, or outright killing the creature with a sickening crunch. *'Defenses:' In their own defense, they will wield their dual-pronged caudal spine, which is armed with a minor poison. This may cause disorientation in opponents, which gives that creatures' predators a better chance at bringing it down. This caudal spine can also be used to flip the Crawler back over should it flip onto its back. If held, they may resort to pinching with their foot-claws or biting. *'Weapons:' While their caudal spine is their major line of attack for predators of their own, Crawlers will typically only use one of two weapons against their own prey: either their foot-claws or their mouths. Because their prey is significantly smaller than them usually and does not possess a backbone, they are usually easily taken down and killed with little effort. *'Tools:' Crawlers are not built for manipulating objects much, as the only thing they really need to manipulate is sand for laying eggs in and digging for prey, which they do so by utilizing their multi-purpose jointed fins. *'Method of Eating:' Use antennae to sense vibrations under the sand; once potential prey is located, the process of digging it out through the use of the jointed fins begins, aided somewhat by the foot-claws. Once enough of the prey item is dug out, it is grasped by the foot-claws, and wrestled into the mouth, which provides the kill. With the creature dead, the Crawler sets itself down to rest on its carapace, and chunks are clipped off by the foot-claws, which then feed the bits to the mouth. The mouth chews up the small portions and swallows it, delivering it to the fore-gut, which holds the food for a short amount of time, before passing it on the the mid-gut. The mid-gut provides most of the breaking down of the matter, and then passes it into the epigaster, where the rest of digestion takes place. Waste remnants are excreted out of the anus on the other end, but only in water, which will wash it away, or at the very least dilute it. *'Reproductive Rate:' Sexual maturity reached after 2 years. Reproduce during a short, four-week period within the spring months. *'Gestation:' 1 week then lays eggs. *'Offspring Incubation:' 3 weeks until eggs hatch after being laid and fertilized. *'Number of Offspring:' 100,000 larvae per clutch laid. *'Offspring Survival Rate (before age of maturity):' 0.0001% -- out of each clutch, only about 10 will make it to sexual maturity. Even so, millions still survive to maturity to breed on beaches covering Zeeon. *'Singular/Plural/Possessive:' Crawler / Crawlers Physiology Below in this next section, you will find information on the Crawler physical appearance, and explanations of things including, but not limited to, their exoskeletal structure and their senses. Exoskeleton Brain & Nerve Center Respiratory System Circulatory System While the heart itself as well as the veins are relatively unremarkable, the blood is of note. Unlike many species, xenosuran blood is copper-based, and therefore appears blue when oxygenated. Immune System The immune system of the Crawlers is a remarkable one. With a complete lack of white blood cells, their immunities actually occur from inside their blue blood cells themselves. When a blue blood cell detects that it has become infected with a virus, it will sacrifice itself, bursting open and releasing antibiotic enzymes that break down the virus or bacteria. Because of this, few Crawlers ever get sick for long, and far fewer die from their malaise. Senses Social Behavior Mating Habits *Males hitch rides on females to egg spot *Females dig hole in ground, lay eggs -- males fertilize *100,000 eggs are laid in 4 week mating season during spring Life Cycle Evolutionary History Crawlers are the sterotypical xenosuran: when one thinks of a xenosuran, it is usually they that comes to mind. They are ancient, living fossils who have barely changed at all in many millions of years. However, according to Aurixan paleontologists such as Dr. Dvodia, this was not always the case. A marine seabed crawler for several millions of years, they came to land.